Friday, June 25, 2010

RIO DE JANEIRO—It’s pretty amazing that Brazil, year after year, Cup after Cup, is always the team to beat. It’s hard for Brazil not to be in the group of death, because they are death to opponents. Not only has Brazil won more cups than any other nation, they have more victories and the highest points per game average, the most goals, the most everything. It’s hard to think of Brazil as a place without thinking about how many times they’ve won the World Cup. Even with the crappy team Dunga has assembled, they’re going to finish top of their group.

Brazil versus Portugal stirs up a Luso-world of geographic, historical, and cultural associations. In 1808, the Portuguese court fled Napoleon’s marauding army, bringing the entire imperial apparatus to Rio de Janeiro. Brazil was the only colony to have ruled over its metropole. It’s pointless to point out all of the connections, but interesting to note that the Portuguese flag hangs in abundance in Rio de Janeiro.

There isn’t too much riding on this game, other than a strategic positioning for the second round. I would be shocked and amazed to see anything but a draw here. The first place in Group G will cross with the second place in Group H, which is very much up in the air, could be Chile or Spain. Portugal will qualify in second place with one point, and Brazil will qualify regardless, so it would be an act of fratricide for Brazil to win.

It's not going to happen. 1-1.

Dunga will get to experiment with some other players and rest a few stars in the middle of the second half (Robinho, Maicon, Luis Fabiano). If an equalizer doesn’t happen “naturally,” look for the referee to balance the scales.

Dunga will replace the suspended Kaká with Julio Batista. Yesterday’s headline in the OGlobo sports section: “The beast in the place of the crack: someone who Dunga trusts, Julio Baptista is the only bachelor on the team but has a wedding planned with a Spanish model after the World Cup.”

Nothing but high quality reporting here.

The coverage of the World Cup in OGlobo and on OGlobo networks has been horrible. There is a total überload of information, none of which actually says anything that provides deeper insight into what is going on. To the contrary, in the lead-up to the Ivory Coast match, OGlobo continued to publish photos that were very explicit in their portrayal of Africans. I have included the photos and captions with translations. I am not sure what to say about them but wow, the animalization, Orientalization, generalization and blatant classism combine to make a powerful broth of racism that you can sip one day at time. Delicious!

I do hope you foreign correspondents out there will publish similar things about Brazil four years from now. Some indigenous folk with bows and arrows, lip discs, painted faces, headdresses, the symbiotic nature-culture-Avatar thing will be a good start.

Photos with my translated captions below.

O Globo

After Dunga began to show his fashion at the World Cup, the coach for Ivory Coast resolved to show the world what he is going to wear against Brazil.

O Globo

Not everything is well at the World Cup. The Bafana Bafana, poor guys, return home.

O Globo

The miserable North Korean players that go hungry in their homeland asked FIFA for the chicken that [the English keeper] Green came up with [chicken is a goalie gaff] so they can make a stew.

O Globo

The World Cup also has a social function. The goalies' chickens are going to do away with hunger for the miserable Africans.

O Globo

Brazil plays today, and even here in South Africa, we can see people preparing their cookout with music and a lot of beer.

O Globo

Today is a festive day in Johannescheesburger: the Ivory Coast fans promise to throw their weight behind their team in Soccer City to cheer for the Elephants.

O Globo

Furious with the unpredictable Jabulani ball, the Ivory Coast is training with balls that they brought from home.